I was really enjoying this up until about three quarters in. The characters were so diverse and their magical abilities were so interesting that it kept me intrigued. Unfortunately the closer I neared the end the more it became apparent that the payoff for the actual plot and the murder mystery was not going to be all that satisfying. And it did leave me a bit underwhelmed. What this book ended up becoming is a collaborative novel wherein each contributor wanted to do their own world-building at the expense of a cohesive feel to the story and a straightforward plot.